


dear saint, let lips do what hands do

by fpoult



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: Boys In Love, Fluff, Literature nerd! Grizz, M/M, Soft Boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-24 06:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19167274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fpoult/pseuds/fpoult
Summary: In which Grizz is a fan of Literature, Romantic Gestures, and, most of all, Sam.





	dear saint, let lips do what hands do

Grizz has an affinity for classic literature. No, actually. Despite what being part of the football team might suggest, he’s smart, cultured, if you will. He happily studies the Elizabethan era and the Romantics. Call him pretentious, whatever, he doesn’t really give a fuck. Victor Hugo, Emily Brontë, Edgar Allan Poe? There is no one better to Grizz. He loves old myths like the Odyssey and Beowulf. He loves any book he can get his hands on.

Out of all the authors and artists and poets, Shakespeare is Grizz’s favorite. The language he used attracts him like a moth to a flame. The way the lines all read like poetry, even when they’re not meant to.

But in all his adoration for Shakespeare, there was always one thing he didn’t understand. Romeo and Juliet, the first meeting, quite possibly the most romantic scene in history. Grizz just didn’t get it.

Well, that’s not completely true. He gets the premise of the scene. Forbidden love, cosmic love, love at first sight. It’s just the sonnet about the blushing pilgrims hands he doesn’t understand. What’s so special about Juliet’s hands? Why is Romeo so sure that his hands are unworthy to take Juliet’s? Like, Shakespeare, love you man, but they’re just hands.

And up until recently, Grizz had honestly thought that was the case. Hands are hands, they aren’t that special. Right?

To be frank, past Grizz was an actual idiot. Present Grizz, the infinitely smarter, wiser Grizz, knew that hands could be beautiful.

One boys hands in particular, were extremely beautiful. In fact, they were everything to him.

Sam’s hands had always been a wonder to Grizz.

He’s not going to lie to himself, he didn’t have a huge crush on Sam before New Ham. He didn’t really care that much. I mean sure, the back of Grizz’s mind was vaguely aware that he was probably the only other gay kid at school, but that didn’t really matter. Sam was adorable, but he didn’t fit into his agenda. After graduation, he wasn’t planning on talking to any of his old classmates, anyway.

But Grizz has a kind heart, at least that’s what his mom used to tell him. He never wants anyone to feel awkward or uncomfortable. So that night at Prom, he didn’t hesitate to sit down next to Sam.

Of course he had to make a fool of himself the moment he sat down. Like, come on Grizz, zoning out and not understanding a word he says is not the proper way to start a healthy friendship.

Grizz was floundering. He had came over here to make someone who was obviously upset feel better and he just made everything a million times more awkward. So he signed the only word he knew. Bullshit.

And Sam’s laugh was contagious.

Grizz asked him to teach him something else. Anything. He’s seen Sam sign to that girl Becca and his cousins before. The silent language fascinated him.

_I hated high school._

He could see why. He was sure being the only deaf kid at school made it hard. The loneliness in not being able to communicate with your classmates. Being the only out gay kid probably didn’t help. That’s two targets on your back in a town like West Ham.

Grizz asked why Sam had never really spoken to him before.

_I don’t know. I guess I just assumed you were like all the other football guys._

Sam signed as he talked and that’s when Grizz first took notice of his hands. They were dexterous and long with constellations of freckles splashed on them. Had things been different, they might have been a pianists hands.

His hands danced as he talked, more sure and confident than his voice, expressing things spoken word couldn’t manage to.

“Those hands need to be held”.

That was the first thought in Grizz’s head. The second being, “Woah… where did that come from?”

Maybe it was just the fact that he was the only potential boyfriend in Grizz’s new little world. His heart was beating fast, but that happens sometimes when he makes new friends. He’s easily excitable. He basically has the personality of a golden retriever puppy. So it’s not that abnormal for him to be so happy talking to his new friend.

One look at Sam, though, and Grizz knows that isn’t the case. He has the sweetest smile, and the cutest freckles, and he has those hands.

So that’s how Grizz got here, lying on his bed, rereading Romeo and fucking Juliet and obsessing over Sam’s hands.

He’s aware that it’s probably not right to be thinking about him so much. Becca literally just had their baby girl.

Grizz doesn’t know what to think about that whole situation. But he wants what’s best for that baby, he really does, and if he had to give up Sam, so be it.

At the same time, something feels wrong about the whole situation. Sam was out, right? Everyone at school knew Sam was gay. He had never even needed to come out. Cassandra was smart, Campbell was crazy, and Sam was gay. That’s just how it went, so what’s going on now. What’s the use of pretending?

Maybe, he slept with Becca once. To see if he really was gay. Maybe they didn’t use protection and it really is his baby. Grizz is fine with that. No, really, he is. He just doesn’t understand why Sam is acting like Becca’s his girlfriend. Who is he protecting?

Grizz is typically an optimist. Not because that’s actually how he thinks, he just chooses to be. But this really fucking blows. Like, in a different universe, one where they weren’t trapped in New Ham, this would be the end of the world. Losing his parents puts it into perspective a little bit, but Grizz still thinks that it’s insanely unfair. Why does the first boy he ever gets in a relationship with have to play straight?

Sam with his gentle voice and calming presence. How the crook of his neck smelled like a book that had just been cracked open with a hint of vanilla. The way his whole face relaxes when he finally falls asleep.

Grizz goes back to reading his book, deciding that dwelling on Sam this much isn’t remotely healthy. Or productive. Or even worth it because Sam and Becca are apparently a thing. Whatever.

_“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”_

Sam is the sun. He was made of pure light. The owner of the most radiant smile Grizz had ever seen. Sam brings out the best in people, the softer, more compassionate side.

Sam is luminous.

Grizz finds himself putting his books away and grabbing his bag.

He starts walking, past his garden, past the library. He’s heading to Sam’s house and he is about to do something he knows will make a fool out of him. Grizz had decided to take one from Shakespeare’s book. Yeah, he’s about to pull a Romeo. Cue the balcony scene.

It’s not until he gets to the house that he remembers that Sam’s room does not have a balcony. Which means he’s going to have to try to climb onto the deck, which is connected to the kitchen.

There’s also the chance that Sam isn’t there. Or that Becca will be the one to notice him. Damn, he really should’ve thought this through. It’s too late to go back now.

Grizz begins to climb the tree closest to the deck. It’s actually really fucking hard, but he can handle it. He was a Boy Scout! Well, he was up until eighth grade when Jason had made fun of him about it.

He’s trying his best to be graceful, but it’s not working. He’s floppy and clumsy and about three seconds from falling out of the damn tree.

Tumbling onto the deck, he hears a voice. “Grizz?” Shit. “Um... hey”, he says lamely. “Hey”, Sam responses, “Want to explain what you’re doing here?” Shit shit shit. This whole thing seems ridiculous now. What is he doing here?

“Uh, ‘With love’s light wings did I o’er-perch these walls.’”, he starts gestures vaguely to the “walls” around the deck.

Sam raises his eyebrows. Grizz gets down on one knee. Then, he quickly stands up because what the hell, what if Sam thought he was proposing. Literally what is he thinking, he’s so dumb. His brain malfunctions whenever Sam is around.

Gulping, Grizz starts again. “‘For stony limits cannot hold love out’ and, um, and ‘And what love can do that dares love attempt; Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me.’”, Grizz tries to sign along with his words. He shakes his hands as if to say “Tada!”, look at me making a fool of myself! Aren’t I endearing and dorky in a cute way?

Ugh, he feels like such a try hard. This is so cliche, how did he ever think Sam would like this? But then he starts laughing.

And once again, Sam’s laugh is contagious.

“You’re cute”, Sam says, “you’re so damn cute.” Grizz wants a hug. Sam gives the best hugs. So, Grizz goes in for a hug. He scoops Sam up and nuzzles into his neck. “I missed you”, Sam mumbles in content.

A cry shakes them out of their stupor. The baby. Sam’s baby. “Sorry! Becca’s out with Kelly and she gets upset when she wakes up without her mom.”, says Sam.

“That’s fine. I’m glad Becca is having fun.” Grizz says as they enter the baby’s room. Because he is. It really isn’t Becca’s fault and she’s a sweet girl.

Big, sunset orange letters spell out “Eden” on the wall. Grizz assumes that they looted an AC Moore or another similar craft store for toys and decor. It’s sweet. All babies should have a few things to play with, even babies in a strange, parallel universe.

“Yeah. Her and Kelly have been really close lately. They take rations out and cook food and sleepover at each other's houses. Girls night, I guess. But yeah, Kelly takes good care of her.”

Well, that totally sounds like a thing people do platonically, right? So, maybe Becca wasn’t into Sam. And Sam didn’t seem to mind that Becca was out on what most people would consider a date.

Maybe Grizz is in the clear. He wouldn’t mind helping raise a baby as long as there wasn’t any pretending or hiding. That’s what he really had the issue with, not the baby herself. Yeah, he wouldn’t mind this being his new life. It’s probably the best one he could get in New Ham.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you about something. I had to make sure it was okay with Becca, but she said it was fine so…”, Sam trails off. Grizz is expected some sort of arrangement of deal. Becca is okay with them, but not around Eden. Or Sam likes him, but is too devoted to his daughter right now.

What Grizz least expected, though, was for Sam to blurt out he wasn’t the father. “I am her father, though”, Sam whispers, “just not her biological one. I pretended to be. Becca doesn’t want anyone to know who the real father is.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. She won’t even tell me. I respect that, I just… At first I thought she didn’t want to be known as the slut who slept around. But now? I think it might’ve been something bad. Like, she was too drunk to consent or a teacher seduced her or, I don’t know. She could have been in trouble. And it hurts me to know that she didn’t feel like she could tell me until she absolutely had to.”

Eden is still crying, but Grizz is just shocked. How could he have been so self-centered? There’s a high chance that Becca went through something traumatic and he was more concerned about how it would affect him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”, he says.

“How could you have? It’s not like it’s common knowledge.”, Sam replies.

“Thank you, Sam, thank you for trusting me with this. I won’t tell anyone, I swear. If it makes it any better, I stopped caring if she was actually your baby the second I saw her. I still would have stayed even if she was yours. I want to help you raise her”, he says, “If you’ll let me.”

“Obviously!”, Sam says and hands her to Grizz. He doesn’t really know what to do with a baby this young. He loves toddlers and kids, but he’s never really been around a child this young. He knows he should support her head, that’s about it.

She’s cute. She has Becca’s nose. And her eyes. Maybe it’s just because he doesn’t know the father, but this little girl seems entirely Becca.

Rock her? Isn’t that what he’s supposed to do? He swings her gently and pretends to know what he’s doing. She seems to like it because she stopped crying and started staring up at him with her big, dark eyes.

“She likes you”, Sam whispers.

She likes him. As she sighs and nuzzles her little head into his arm, Grizz smiles. He likes her, too.

She looks tired. Her tiny eyes are closed and her hands are wrapped around Grizz’s pinky finger. Grizz sets her down in her crib, trying to be as gentle as possible. Sam grabs his hand and drags him to the living room.

“So, after I talked to Becca, she said some things and, um, I know you said you want to help raise her.” Sam looks nervous as he speaks. Grizz exhales. “I do. I’d love to.” It takes a village to raise a child, that’s the saying, right? Grizz remembers reading an article, once, about the place the saying came from. A small town in Africa. They were poor, but the article had said that they were happy.

“Well, she said that… and I agree with her…”. Yeah Sam is definitely nervous. Grizz squeezes his hand.

It’s warm. Holding Sam’s hand is nothing like Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, it’s a million times better.

Sam takes a deep breath. “Do you want to move in? With me. With us.”

Holy shit. Holy shit.

“Yeah”, he finds himself saying, “I do.”

Sam draws him into an embrace, dragging him over to the couch. Grizz runs his hands down the side of the other boy’s arms. He settles them on the couch, pressing light kisses along Sam’s neck until he gets to the very top of his head. Sam rests his head on Grizz’s chest and he places a kiss on Sam’s forehead.

“Is it weird”, Sam starts, “that even though I know that this whole town is about to go to hell, I’m happier than I think I’ve ever been?”

“Not at all”

The couple cuddled closer together, Grizz listening to the rhythm of Sam’s breath. After what feels like a lifetime, Sam finally sits up. Grizz rubs his eyes, feeling starved by the lack of contact. He sees Sam check his phone for the time. He turns towards Grizz, letting out a soft sigh.

“I enjoyed your Shakespeare”, Sam signs, fingerspelling out the word Shakespeare.

“Very impressive”. Grizz can sense the slight mockery in his eyes, but he knows it’s lighthearted.

“Really? Like, it wasn’t too cheesy?”, he asks.

“No”, says Sam. “It was totally too cheesy. But I liked it. It was romantic and charming and a little bit embarrassing. And I love every minute of it. Because it was so entirely you.”

Grizz feels himself tear up a little at that. All he’s ever wanted was to graduate high school and get to college so he could finally let people see him. Now there’s someone here, someone who’s seen him the whole time.

Sam leans closer in towards him.

Grizz reaches out to touch lace his fingers with Sam’s. He kisses Sam’s fingertips, one by one, sucking on his pinky. Sam laughs and Grizz smiles at the sound.

His lips move up to greet Sam’s jaw.

_“If I profane with my unworthiest hand This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss._ ”, Grizz quotes.

He brings his hands to cup Sam’s face and finally meets his lips.


End file.
